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Entertainment

‘King of the Hill’ Revived at Hulu – The Hollywood Reporter

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Following years of rumors and speculation, King of the Hill is officially getting the reboot treatment at Hulu.

The Disney-backed streamer has handed out a straight-to-series order for a revival of the former Fox animated series from 20th Television Animation. Creators Mike Judge and Greg Daniels are set to return and exec produce alongside showrunner Saladin Patterson (ABC’s The Wonder Years update) and original voice cast members Kathy Najimy, Stephen Root, Pamela Adlon, Johnny Hardwick and Lauren Tom. The reboot, which has been rumored for years, has been in the works since Judge and Daniels reunited with the King of the Hill cast in 2017 at Sketchfest in San Francisco for the 20th anniversary of the beloved comedy.

“We are all so excited to welcome back Hank, Peggy and Bobby, and to see what they have to say about the world we live in and continue the conversations we began years ago,” said Craig Erwich, president, ABC Entertainment, Hulu and Disney Branded Television streaming originals. “This show has all of the perfect ingredients to meet this moment in animation at Hulu, and we’re so thankful to be having those conversations alongside this talented group.”

King of the Hill ran for 13 seasons on Fox, starting in 1997. The series was among the assets included when Fox sold its studio, 20th Television, to Disney a few years ago. With Disney controlling the rights to the series, Hulu became a natural home for the show as the streamer remains a destination for adult-focused animated fare including repeats of King of the Hill and Family Guy. Hulu is also the home of the forthcoming Futurama revival.

Daniels and Judge’s recently launched animation banner Bandera Entertainment is also attached to exec produce the new King of the Hill alongside company president Dustin Davis. Original producers 3 Arts and the company’s Michael Rottenberg and Howard Klein will also exec produce.

In an interview with THR last January, Judge and Daniels said the seeds for what became Bandera were planted around a couple of reunion panels for King of the Hill over the past few years as the duo would often discuss people they’d worked with in the past and the explosion of interest in animation. At the time, Judge and Daniels confirmed the King of the Hill reboot was in the works but were not ready to discuss it publicly.

“Mostly what Bandera is doing is trying to get us in more of a supervisory role; that’s what we’ve been really concentrating on: using our taste and the people we’ve worked with and trying to help other people achieve their visions that we think are cool,” Daniels said at the time. Added Judge: “There’s one show that I might be a co-creator of, but the rest, it’s mentoring other people and getting people together and being a studio in that regard.”

During its run, King of the Hill earned six Emmy nominations (winning one) for outstanding animated program. Adlon, whose FX comedy Better Things wrapped its run last year, also took home Emmy gold for her voice work on the series.

A promo for the original King of the Hill on Fox

King of the Hill becomes the latest beloved animated comedy to be revived for a new generation as animation continues remain in high demand as repeats perform extremely well on streaming platforms and, in success, can lead to billions in revenue from merchandising. Comedy Central revived Judge’s Beavis and Butt-Head with a two-season order (and multiple movies) before the series moved to Paramount+. A revival of Daria in the form of a spinoff revolving around Jodi and voiced by Tracee Ellis Ross is also in the works as a series-turned-movie.

For their part, Judge and Daniels’ Bandera also has a number of animated projects in the works at outlets including Peacock, HBO Max, Netflix and Freeform, with others in various stages of development.

“I’m so lucky to have been a part of this show from the very beginning and couldn’t be more excited to visit Arlen, Texas, once again with Mike, Greg and Saladin, who together are bringing a whole new perspective to the original series. We all want to thank the fans for their overwhelming support because they helped make this happen, and I can’t wait to share this new iteration through the lens of 2023 America. In the words of our beloved Peggy Hill: ‘Ho yeah!’” said Marci Proietto, executive vp at 20th Television Animation.



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Black Friday 2022: Get Hulu for $1.99 per month for a year with this deal for ‘GMA’ viewers

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For a limited time, “GMA” viewers have a chance to gain early access to an out-of-this-world offer.

“GMA” viewers who haven’t subscribed to Hulu yet or eligible returning Hulu subscribers can score Hulu with ads plan — which includes TV shows, films and originals — for just $1.99 per month for one year.

You are now leaving GoodMorningAmerica.com. The Terms and Privacy policy will differ. By proceeding you understand and agree The Walt Disney Company is not responsible for the site you are about to access.

Hulu Hulu with ads plan: $1.99/month for a year

Price: $1.99 • 75% Savings

Original: $7.99 Valid: 11/20/2022 to 11/28/2022 per month

Beginning today, eligible “GMA” viewers can subscribe to the Hulu (With Ads) plan, which features a massive library of hit TV shows, films and Hulu Originals, for $1.99 per month for one year, a regular monthly price after.

Head to Hulu.com/GMA to take advantage of the limited-time offer, for new and eligible returning Hulu subscribers, which extends through Cyber Monday, Nov. 28. Viewers who take advantage of the offer can save up to $72 over twelve months, compared to the current regular monthly subscription price of Hulu (With Ads). Certain offer terms apply.

Here’s what you need to know:

“Good Morning America” is offering a Hulu Black Friday deal for their viewers. Is that one better than signing up directly through Hulu?

The two offers are the same – Hulu (With Ads) for $1.99 per month for a year. The only difference is “Good Morning America” viewers have early access to sign up for Hulu’s Black Friday offer, beginning on Sunday, Nov. 28.

Who can sign up for the “GMA” offer?

All new and eligible returning Hulu subscribers (who have not been Hulu subscribers in the past 1 month) can sign up for the Black Friday promotion.

Is there a limit on how many people can sign up for Hulu’s Black Friday promotion?

No. While “Good Morning America” viewers have early access to the offer and can sign up starting three days before Hulu’s Black Friday offer is made available to the general public on Nov. 23, there is no limit to how many consumers can take advantage of this promotion.

Where can I sign up for the “Good Morning America” offer?

“Good Morning America” viewers can sign up for Hulu’s Black Friday offer from Sunday, Nov. 20 through Monday, Nov. 28 at hulu.com/GMA.

Is there another way to sign up for the Hulu Black Friday promotion?

Yes. This offer will be available for all new and eligible returning subscribers starting at 12:00AM PST Wednesday, Nov. 23 at Hulu.com.

Why is the promotion offered earlier for “Good Morning America” viewers?

Hulu is offering early access to our Black Friday promotion on “Good Morning America”, which is also part of The Walt Disney Company, to provide “GMA” viewers with an opportunity to be one of the first to sign up for the offer.

Disney is the parent company of Hulu, ABC News and “Good Morning America.”

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Entertainment

Keanu Reeves Departs Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio’s ‘Devil in the White City’ at Hulu – The Hollywood Reporter

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That was fast.

Two months after Hulu officially confirmed that Keanu Reeves would lead its Devil in the White City series from Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, the Matrix favorite has exited the project.

Sources say the Disney-backed streamer is already searching for a replacement star to lead the drama, which has been in various stages of development for more than a decade. Reps for Hulu and Reeves declined to comment.

Hulu officially ordered Devil in the White City in early August, with Reeves officially closing a deal to star in the series that would have marked his largest TV commitment to date.

The show has been in the works for more than a decade, including a stint when it was envisioned as a feature film, with Sam Shaw (Hulu’s Castle Rock) on board as writer, showrunner and exec producer. DiCaprio and his Appian Way partner, Jennifer Davisson, exec produce alongside Scorsese. The latter was previously set to direct the feature film take that had been set up at Paramount Pictures with DiCaprio formerly set to star. Reeves — following months of dealmaking — was attached to star and exec produce the series that landed at Hulu for development in 2019. Todd Field is on board to direct the crime drama, which is now a co-production between Paramount Television Studios and Disney’s ABC Signature. Paramount Pictures won the rights to the novel following a massive bidding war in 2015, when Billy Ray was on board to pen the scripts.

Based on Erik Larson’s novel, Devil revolves around Daniel H. Burnham (the role formerly to have been played by Reeves), a demanding but visionary architect who races to make his mark on history with the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, and Dr. H. H. Holmes, America’s first modern serial killer and the man behind the notorious “Murder Castle” built in the fair’s shadow. (DiCaprio is not expected to have an onscreen role as of press time.)

Rick Yorn, Stacey Sher, Field and Mark Lafferty also exec produce the series. A formal episode count has not yet been determined. Scorsese and DiCaprio have previously teamed for features Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island and The Wolf of Wall Street. The frequent collaborators had previously developed TV takes on Gangs of New York and Shutter Island, though neither moved beyond the script stage. DiCaprio currently has a film and TV deal at Apple. DiCaprio exec produces the Apple series Shining Girls and has the $200 million feature Killers of the Flower Moon set to debut on the streamer next year.

THR’s sibling site, Variety, was first to report Reeves’ exit.



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Entertainment

Director and Pinhead Actor Interview

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Jamie Clayton as a new version of a horror icon.
Image: Spyglass Media Group

The new Hellraiser arrives on Hulu next month, and fans of Clive Barker’s horror franchise are eagerly waiting to see what director David Bruckner does to differentiate his film from the many series entries that’ve come before. One big change that makes this 11th Hellraiser film stand out: casting Jamie Clayton as demon antagonist Pinhead.

Ahead of the film’s release, io9 got a chance to talk with Bruckner (The Night House) and Clayton (Sense8) over video chat about what the Hellraiser faithful—and franchise newcomers—can expect.

Cheryl Eddy, io9: The Hellraiser franchise has been around for 35 years. How do you approach balancing the appeal for long-standing fans and people who may be watching a Hellraiser movie for the first time?

David Bruckner: Being a Hellraiser fan myself, it’s pretty easy to instantly want to resurrect everything that you love about the original movies, and you can’t get it all into one film. So it’s easy to sort of follow those inspirations—but you also have an obligation to this story. This was always a new story and that sometimes carries you in different places, and you have to follow your inspirations where that’s concerned. The spirit of Hellraiser is one that I think embraces invention and advance of design and is always willing to go [to] some crazy places. So we wanted to find something that hit the notes that fans would like—but also allowed itself to do new things for new audiences and look at this as a gateway for people to the older movies. That’d be great. That’d make me very happy.

io9: Jamie, Doug Bradley’s portrayal of Pinhead is obviously so beloved and iconic. Did you study his performance when shaping your approach to “the Priest”?

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Jamie Clayton: David and I had many conversations before I would shoot any of the bigger scenes about what the intention would be, what the Priest was sort of feeling and thinking, and all of those things. He did send me one particular scene to watch—that’s our little secret—but he did send me one scene that was his favorite from the original film, and I remembered it. It was so helpful because it really was just sort of tonally an idea. It was this abstract idea, you know, it was one of the many colors with which we painted this beautiful portrait. And so there was that. But I really did just want to just make it my own. That was the goal. I mean, the goal was, even in casting a woman, it was seeking to take the burden off the audience’s shoulders of even trying to compare the two performances, because just right off the bat, they’re just going to be different.

Another Cenobite would like to make your acquaintance.
Image: Spyglass Media Group

io9: How much of the make-up was practical and how much was CG, and how did you develop your character’s particular speaking voice?

Speaker 3: The makeup took four and a half to six hours depending on the day, how many other Cenobites would be working, and how many people I had working on me. But it’s all—everything that you see, if anybody knows the lingo of Hollywood, “last looks” are when the makeup artists jump in before you’re about to start actually shooting a scene. For any actor, it’s a little bit of powder on the forehead, some lip gloss. But for me and the rest of the Cenobites, it was all kinds of blood and, like, straightening a pin. All of those things [were] practical. There are some bits that are painted to get rid of seams, but that’s all me in all of that.

The voice was interesting because I had done a voice when I taped my audition, and I was just having fun with something. In the callback, we did some funny things that were playing with volume and projection and all of that. And then once it finally got down to [filming] in Serbia, there was a moment too, when we talked and I was like, “Maybe I’m not even going to do as much as I’ve been doing.” But then the neck piece is so tight and so restricting, I kind of can’t do anything more than what I’m doing. Once [the costume was] all on, [I was not] able to expand [or take a full breath], so it all kind of lived back here [in the back of the throat]. We just found it, and we found levels in it, and expression and tone, the disappointment or the sensuality. We found those things in there..

io9: David, after all the Hellraiser movies that are out in the world, some of which are pretty corny, and related work including a recent Rick and Morty episode, how do you continue to make Hellraiser scary?

Bruckner: It’s always a challenge to make things scary. And I feel like if you’re doing anything in a horror film, you’re out on a crazy limb—you’ve got prosthetic monsters, you’re usually battling the elements, and when you’re there on the ground, there’s always the peril that none of it may work. But look, Hellraiser is about a lot of different things. It’s fantasy. It’s horror. There’s surreal qualities to it. It’s a reflection of the inner dilemma of the characters. I liked to say we sort of chased the sick giggle, the side of us that feels like we’re getting away with something, and then also allow ourselves to experience a bit of awe in horror, and to be smaller than the material in some ways. So I think you just trust in that and believe in it. There’s a sincerity to Hellraiser that I admire. And of course, when something’s become iconic on the pop culture front, there’s going to be another satirical side to it necessarily. But I don’t think that that challenges the experience in any way that that we can’t get behind.

io9: Are you involved at all in the HBO series that was announced in 2020?

Bruckner: I don’t know anything about it, but I wish them the best. I know Clive [Barker’s] working on it. And I think if they can get it going, I’d be a fan. I’d love to see what comes of it.

io9: Speaking of Clive Barker, he’s listed as a producer on your film. How involved was he?

Bruckner: He was great. He was very involved. We had a lot of conversations when I was in prep, and a lot after the fact on the edit, and he’s a creative producer, so he was there to look into the material, to challenge me, to encourage me to look into various ideas. He sent me lots of art. We had lots of conversations about theme. He fully embraced the idea that this was after the essence of Hellraiser, but was also a departure in some ways. Even before he’d seen the designs, [he] said to me, we’ve got to find a new way to do some of this; times have changed and the spirit of it has to be rejuvenated. And so I hope that that’s something that we accomplished. But I’m grateful to him for his time, and he’s a marvel to work with and speak to. And he was very generous with us.

Hellraiser premieres October 7 on Hulu.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

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Business

Comcast executives expect Disney to buy remaining stake in Hulu

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Hulu

Rafael Henrique | SOPA Images | LightRocket | Getty Images

The future of Hulu continues to be an open question as Comcast and Disney still haven’t agreed on terms that will settle the company’s future ownership.

But Comcast executives are planning on Disney buying them out — even if they’d prefer otherwise.

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Disney owns two-thirds of Hulu and has an option to buy the remaining 33% from Comcast as early as January 2024. Some analysts and industry watchers have speculated Comcast might try to buy Hulu from Disney rather than the other way around. Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts has been a long-time believer in Hulu and has historically pushed to keep the asset rather than sell, including in 2013, when Roberts nixed talks with DirecTV, according to people familiar with the matter.

Comcast broached the idea of buying all of Hulu from Disney after Disney agreed to acquire the majority of Fox’s assets as part of a $71 billion deal that closed in early 2019, said two of the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions were private. Disney, armed with 66% ownership after acquiring Fox’s minority stake in Hulu, dismissed the idea, the people said.

Blocked from buying all of Hulu, Comcast’s sustained belief in the business led to the unusual agreement the two companies reached in May 2019, with Comcast agreeing to sell Disney its minority stake as early as 2024. As part of that transaction, Disney guaranteed a sale price valuing Hulu at a minimum of $27.5 billion.

That amount spiked earlier in the pandemic, giving Comcast some hope that Disney may choose to unload Hulu rather than pay Comcast a huge check for the remainder, two of the people said. Offloading Hulu would have allowed Disney to put its focus and money primarily on Disney+.

“I think if Disney could roll back the clock today, I’m not so sure they would enter into that deal,” said Neil Begley, an analyst for Moody’s Investors Services. “Disney has this huge bill to pay in 2024 at a time when they’re already investing a lot of money into Disney+.”

Acquiring Hulu from Disney would also supercharge Comcast’s streaming efforts. Hulu would instantly become Comcast’s flagship streaming asset, replacing NBCUniversal’s Peacock, which has added just 13 million paid subscribers in its nearly two years of existence. Hulu has 46.2 million subscribers. Peacock could live on as NBCUniversal’s free advertising-supported option. Peacock already has a free tier, with millions of users.

Several top Comcast executives also think Hulu doesn’t make as much sense paired with Disney’s assets as it would at NBCUniversal, especially with the recent announcement that Disney+ plans to launch an advertising-supported tier in December, according to people familiar with the matter. Hulu has been Disney’s advertising-supported service for years. Disney could have positioned Hulu as its advertising play going forward, but CEO Bob Chapek has chosen to make versions of both Disney+ and Hulu with and without commercials.

Spokespeople for Disney and Comcast declined to comment.

Bob Chapek, CEO of the Walt Disney Company and former head of Walt Disney Parks and Experiences, speaks during a media preview of the D23 Expo 2019 in Anaheim, California, Aug. 22, 2019.

Patrick T. Fallon | Bloomberg via Getty Images

Why Disney wants Hulu

Netflix’s slowing growth this year has led to an overall devaluation in the streaming sector. Comcast executives value Hulu “significantly higher” than $27.5 billion, and possibly up to $50 billion, one of the people said. That’s down from around $60 billion during the pandemic, the person said. If Disney sticks to its plan to buy out Comcast by January 2024, there’s still time for significant valuation fluctuations.

Disney’s decision to lower Disney+’s 2024 guidance and its subsequent move to raise prices signaled to Wall Street that Chapek is no longer focused on adding subscribers at all costs.

It’s sent a signal to Comcast that Hulu is likely in Disney’s long-term plans. Excluding Hulu with Live TV, Hulu’s average revenue per user is $12.92 per month. That’s nearly triple Disney+’s global ARPU of $4.35 and more than double Disney+’s ARPU in the U.S. and Canada ($6.27).

Disney has built a streaming strategy around bundling Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+. While Disney raised Disney+’s price by 38% and ESPN+’s price by 43%, it only bumped its bundled offering of Disney+, Hulu (with ads) and ESPN+ by $1, from $13.99 to $14.99. That suggests Disney’s most preferred option is customers pay for the entire bundle, including Hulu.

Media and entertainment companies have begun focusing on building profitable subscribers, rather than simply acquiring subscribers, in recent months as industrywide streaming growth has slowed. If Disney isn’t trading on Disney+ growth, Hulu becomes a more important part of its long-term strategy.

“People are getting more judicious about their spend,” Kevin Mayer, Disney’s former head of streaming, said on CNBC last month. “There’s a renewed emphasis from Wall Street not just on the topline subscriber number but on the bottom line. I think that’s healthy.”

Comcast vs. Disney

There’s also the issue of competitive dynamics. A primary reason Disney held on to Hulu, and acquired other Fox assets, was specifically to keep them from Comcast, according to people familiar with the matter. Handing Hulu to Comcast would alter the balance of power in the media world and weaken Disney, then-CEO Bob Iger thought, the people said.

Comcast has already taken steps to weaken Hulu, assuming Disney will keep it. Earlier this year, Comcast made the decision to remove content such as “Saturday Night Live” and “The Voice” from the streaming service and put it on Peacock instead. That change takes place later this month.

Comcast has already earmarked some of the proceeds it’ll receive toward paying down debt. Comcast executives say they don’t need the cash and aren’t independently looking to accelerate a timeline, two of the people said.

Dan Loeb’s desire

Daniel Loeb

Simon Dawson | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Activist investor Dan Loeb’s Third Point Capital bought a new stake in Disney last month, arguing Disney should not only complete its deal for Hulu, it should accelerate its timing.

“We urge the company to make every attempt to acquire Comcast’s remaining minority stake prior to the contractual deadline in early 2024,” Loeb said in a letter addressed to Chapek. “We believe that it would even be prudent for Disney to pay a modest premium to accelerate the integration but are cognizant that the seller may have an unreasonable price expectation at this time (while noting the seller has already made the decision to prematurely remove their own content from the platform.) We know this is a priority for you and hope there is a deal to be had before Comcast is contractually obligated to do so in about 18 months.”

Disney hasn’t publicly addressed the specifics of Loeb’s requests and hasn’t made a decision on whether it plans to speed up a timeline to buy Comcast’s stake in Hulu, according to people familiar with the matter.

Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal, which owns CNBC.

WATCH: Disney membership in the works and could offer exclusive content or experiences

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Entertainment

Hulu New Releases: September 2022

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When the leaves start to turn and the streaming calendar flips over to autumn, it’s helpful to have a guaranteed hit. And that’s exactly what Hulu has on its hands with its list of new releases for September 2022.

While Prime Video unveils The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and HBO Max continues on with House of the Dragon, Hulu is turning to a hit of its own with The Handmaid’s Tale. Season 5 of the dystopian epic premieres Sept. 14. That’s just the start of Hulu’s TV offerings this month though.

While there are no original movies to speak of, Hulu has many shows to accompany June’s story in September. South Korea sci-fi series Grid arrives on Sept. 7 and is followed by Wedding Season on Sept. 8, Reboot on Sept. 20, and Ramy season 3 on Sept. 30. Thanks to its Disney parent company, Hulu also gets to be the streaming home of Atlanta season 4 and Abbott Elementary season 2 this month.

The streamer will also beef up its library movie titles with The Dark Knight, Fight Club, and The Social Network on Sept. 1 and The Last Duel on Sept. 14.

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Entertainment

Prey Sets Hulu Record, Topping All Movies and TV Show Premieres – The Hollywood Reporter

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Over the Aug. 5-7 weekend, social media was buzzing over the new movie Prey, the umpteenth installment in the Predator franchise. Many wondered why 20th Century and Disney didn’t open the movie in cinemas, considering the theatrical calendar for August is notably light this year. Instead, Prey debuted directly on Hulu.

On Tuesday, Disney said the film scored the No. 1 premiere on Hulu to date, including all film and TV series debuts. Additionally, the pic was the most watched film premiere on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ under the Star banner in all other territories, based on hours watched in the first three days of its release. Disney did not share total hours viewed, as Netflix does. Since companies don’t report streaming viewership numbers into a central clearinghouse, there’s no third-party verification.

Prey was long destined for streaming, with preproduction underway prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was not among the movies that changed course once the pandemic struck.

Disney believes that sending the movie straight to Hulu — which, like other streamers, is competing to become a destination for original content — was a smart decision, and it’s impossible to say whether Prey would have benefited from a theatrical release. One veteran box office analyst says 20th Century and Disney likely made the right choice by sending it directly to Hulu, considering that the last film in the series, 2018’s The Predator, was a bust that tarnished the brand. “They might have had a tough row to hoe if going theatrical,” the source says.

The Predator franchise has a checkered box office history. The 1987 original impressed with a domestic gross of nearly $60 million on a $15 million budget, but the most recent installment in the franchise to be released theatrically, The Predator, fell flat with $51 million domestic and $160 worldwide gross after being made for a reported $88 million. The most successful film to feature the Predator was 2004 crossover movie Alien vs. Predator, which earned $177 million worldwide.

Talking to THR in March of this year, 20th Century head Steve Asbell noted that with the exception of two or three theatrical releases a year, 20th Century titles will launch on Hulu domestically and Star+ internationally. It is important to note that 20th Century movies that do receive a theatrical release have an output deal with HBO Max that was engineered before Disney acquired 20th Century Fox.

As for 20th Century’s Hulu slate, Asbell said that genre films that Disney doesn’t make in other divisions — like midbudget sci-fi films of the Predator variety — would be the domain of his studio when it came to straight-to-streaming projects. “In order to meet the volume that we are looking at — which is, by 2023, 10-plus movies just for streaming — it’s going to be a combination of originals in those genres. And coolest of all for fans, we get to find bold takes on beloved Fox properties.”

Set in the 1700s, Prey stars Amber Midthunder as a young Comanche woman that is hoping to prove herself as a hunter when she encounters the homicidal alien at the center of the Predator franchise. Dan Trachtenberg, who had a great showing at the box office with his last feature film, 10 Cloverfield Lane, in 2016, directed from his script.

Fans of the Predator franchise showed a definite affinity for Midthunder and Trachtenberg, according to analytics and polling firm ScreenEngine. Overall, the movie skewed male, as has been common for the past Predator films. (ScreenEngine doesn’t reveal viewership numbers.)

Asbell said in his previous interview, “We get more of these at-bats, and we can make more bets on new talent.” One of those bets was Prey, which was an original take on a well-known IP but featured a largely unknown cast.

Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Chapek has repeatedly stressed the importance of being flexible when it comes to making and distributing content across different platforms. That policy won’t end as the industry emerges from the pandemic.

Other studios are going in the opposite direction as moviegoing resumes. Earlier this month, Warner Bros. Discovery stunned Hollywood when shelving Batgirl, an original HBO Max project, as part of WBD chief David Zaslav’s edict to focus on theatrical.



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Entertainment

Jesse Ventura welcomes Amber Midthunder to the Predator family

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Amber Midthunder in Prey
Photo: Hulu

If Twitter buzz is anything to go by, director Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey (available now on Hulu) is way bigger than anything currently playing in movie theaters. The movie is a Predator prequel, set in 1719, that follows a Comanche woman named Naru (Amber Midthunder) who wants to be a hunter (but is constantly dismissed, despite her obvious talent and enthusiasm). Wanting to prove herself, Naru sneaks away from home and eventually crosses paths with an invisible alien hunter with a wide array of high-tech weapons—a Yautja, or “Predator” if you’re not up on the lingo.

Much like Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original Predator, Prey’s Midthunder carries huge chunks of the movie all alone, not counting the Predator and her loyal dog Sarii (played by frustratingly lovable dog-actor Coco), and also like Schwarzenegger, she comes away looking extremely awesome. Not only does she hold her own in some good action sequences, but her story requires more emotional work than you get in the average Predator movie. Really, nobody has emotions in that first movie except for Bill Duke’s Mac.

But don’t take it from us: Take it from Jesse Ventura, who played sexual tyrannosaurus Blain in the original Predator and therefore knows a thing or two about fighting one of these ugly motherfuckers… or at least dying to one, since he got slaughtered pretty early in that movie. On Twitter, Ventura welcomed Midthunder to the “Predator family,” saying, “you definitely ain’t got time to bleed.” (A nod to his famous line from the first movie.) He also tagged Trachtenberg to thank him for making “such a thoughtful, creative, and wonderful film.”

Midthunder seems very touched by Ventura’s praise, and she’s spent the last day or so sharing fan art and endearingly reacting to big-name Hollywood people who have nice things to say about Prey on Twitter (she retweeted Bryan Fuller, for example, who said that he wants a Naru action figure and that he thinks she can “hold her own” against Sarah Connor and Ripley).



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US

Hulu to accept political candidate and issue ads

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The Disney-backed streaming service Hulu said Wednesday it will start accepting political ads with the same standards that the company uses for its cable networks, opening the door for issue advertising on controversial topics after Democratic groups attacked the company for rejecting ads on abortion and guns.

In a statement, Hulu said that “after a thorough review,” Disney had decided to align Hulu’s political advertising policies to be consistent with the company’s sports and entertainment cable networks and the streaming service ESPN Plus.

“Hulu will now accept candidate and issue advertisements covering a wide spectrum of policy positions, but reserves the right to request edits” or other changes, “in alignment with industry standards,” the statement said.

The statement did not specifically mention ads on guns or abortion, but such ads have previously run on other Disney-owned cable networks, such as ESPN.

Democrats, angered by the rejection of two ads this month, organized a public pressure campaign on social media this week, asking supporters to denounce the Hulu policy. The protests were a top trending topic Tuesday on Twitter, with multiple accounts publicly announcing that they planned to cancel their service unless Hulu changed its policy.

Mosaic Communications, a Democratic advertising firm, announced in a news release Tuesday that it would stop buying candidate ads with Hulu until the policy changed. Julie Norton, a partner at the firm, said the Wednesday announcement appeared to resolve her concerns.

“It looks like they are trying to do the right thing at this point,” she said. “We certainly applaud them for moving in the right direction.”

The Washington Post reported Monday that Hulu has a policy against running content deemed controversial. Like other digital providers, it is not bound by the Communications Act of 1934, a law that requires broadcast television networks to provide politicians equal access to the airwaves.

Hulu has been shifting its approach to candidate advertising in recent weeks, after similar backlash from Democratic contenders. Suraj Patel, a congressional candidate in New York City, publicly protested the rejection of one of his ads, which mentioned gun violence, abortion and climate change, and showed images of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Hulu, which had a more permissive ad policy for candidates than issues, first allowed him to run the ad after he replaced a reference to climate change and removed the images of violence outside the Capitol.

Then, on Monday, after The Post article published, Hulu told his campaign that the version of the ad the company initially rejected would be allowed to run. A person familiar with the decision at Hulu, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record, said that Hulu had decided to accept the once-rejected ad before Monday but had not communicated it to Patel.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Democratic Governors Association tried to purchase joint ads on abortion and guns with Hulu on July 15, along with identical placements on a Disney-linked ABC affiliate in Philadelphia and the company’s cable sports channel ESPN. The Hulu ads never ran, while the others did.

“Hulu’s censorship of the truth is outrageous, offensive, and another step down a dangerous path for our country,” the executive directors of the three committees — Christie Roberts, Tim Persico and Noam Lee — said in a statement provided to The Post on Monday. “Voters have the right to know the facts about MAGA Republicans’ agenda on issues like abortion — and Hulu is doing a huge disservice to the American people by blocking voters from learning the truth about the GOP record or denying these issues from even being discussed.”

The tracking firm Kantar Media projects that $7.8 billion will be spent on political advertising for the 2022 midterm election season, with about $1.2 billion going to over-the-top and connected TV spending, a category that includes ads delivered through streaming services and set-top boxes such as Roku. The streaming spending, according to Kantar, is “the new darling of the political set.”

But streaming services have proved harder to negotiate with for political buyers. Disney has told advertisers that political and alcohol ads will not be accepted on Disney Plus, a separate streaming service, when it launches an ad-supported version later this year. Netflix announced this month that it is developing an ad-supported version with Microsoft, though the company has not specified its advertising policies.

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